This week, legendary military thriller author Tom Clancy dies at 66, Grand Theft Auto V’s online mode launches but not without a few problems, and GamesBeat writer Stephanie Carmichael goes to “noob school” in League of Legends.
You’ll also find our review for Pokémon X and Y and a behind -the-scenes look at Minecraft developer Mojang.
News:
- The DeanBeat: With Grand Theft Auto V, has killing finally become fun?
- Rockstar Games disables microtransactions in Grand Theft Auto Online
- Tom Clancy provided the imagination for a generation of video games
- Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition launches Nov. 15
- Sequel to popular indie sandbox adventure game Terraria in the works
- Survey shows why most play browser games instead of consoles
- Eidos Montreal working on next-gen Deus Ex
- State of independence: An inside view of Minecraft developer Mojang
- Tom Clancy, the name behind Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell, dead at 66 (updated)
- Grand Theft Auto Online goes live
- After Kickstarter failure, Axis Game Factory returns with pro game creation tools (exclusive)
- With a huge game like Candy Crush Saga, bad ads will happen
- Evidence mounts that King, maker of Candy Crush Saga, has filed for IPO
Announcements and reveals:
- Bethesda opens Australian publishing offices
- Surprise! Charizard has two Mega Evolutions in Pokémon X and Y
- Gaymer X convention’s second act is three times larger
- GTA Online and other digital content could generate $206M in next year for Take-Two
- Japanese developer Idea Factory opens U.S. branch
- GamesBeat speaker spotlight: Ouya’s Julie Uhrman on flipping publishing models
- GamesBeat speaker spotlight: ESA’s Mike Gallagher on changing games and gamers
Tech:
- Apple’s iPhone 5S sensors are massively screwed up (and so are the games that rely on them)
- This new ultrasound touchless gesturing tech lets you control your Android phone like Xbox Kinect
- Netgear launches a ‘smart’ Nighthawk router with a gigahertz dual-core processor
Mobile news:
- Mobile developer earns record $1 million through new in-game video advertising network
- Chinese VC: Mobile game investments still in early stage of a boom
- Double Fine’s The Cave arrives on iOS devices
- Plants vs. Zombies 2 soft launches in Australia, New Zealand on Android; global launch coming ‘shortly’
- No excuses! You can build great mobile games using HTML5
- Stardock’s first iOS game, Dead Man’s Draw, is out now
- P4RC ‘achievement network’ gains ground with rewards for mobile gamers
Ruh-roh:
- Social gaming company Gree offering buyouts to 200 employees
- Founder of struggling social gaming giant Zynga Mark Pincus ‘bored’ with games
- Disappointing U.K. start for EA’s FIFA 14 causes concern
- Sega of America lays off some staff in the U.S.
All this funding:
Reviews:
Pieces of flair:
- Stuck loading Grand Theft Auto Online? Try these fixes
- Great tabletop games for video gamers: Space Cadets: Dice Duel
- Sony’s G.I.R.L. internship program is about more than making concept art
- A League of Legends Nexus would cost $24,106 if it was real
- What I learned — and didn’t — from League of Legends noob school